Inside Insulate Britain: on the road with the disruptive climate protesters

Roadblocks have caused anger but members say only maximum economic disruption will make politicians listen

The riskiest time in Insulate Britain's road block protests is before the police arrive, their activists say. When they targeted a busy junction of the A1090 in Thurrock, Essex, on Wednesday morning, just outside the eastern edge of London, the police didn't appear for nearly an hour. No serious injuries were reported, but it was close.

The first lorry, hurtling towards the T-junction, did not look like it was going to stop: it ground to a halt inches from the faces of three activists. Cars and vans mounted kerbs and central reservations to evade them. Motorists emerged from their vehicles, pink with rage, snatched protesters' banners and dragged them from the road like ragdolls.